The head of the United States diplomatic mission in Cuba, Mike Hammer, was the target of a harassment operation this Sunday during a community tour that included the use of the iconic ferry linking Old Havana with the municipality of Regla, popularly known as “la lanchita de Regla.”
According to confirmation from CiberCuba with an anonymous source, state security agents dressed in civilian clothes were traveling on public transport, simulating a violent verbal exchange with the American diplomat, whom they attempted to lecture on the "truths" upheld by the Cuban regime.
The setup, which also involved a uniformed agent from the Revolutionary National Police (PNR) pretending to mediate between the parties, consisted of aggressively confronting Hammer, while several of those involved recorded the scene with a mobile phone.
"Two women aggressively confronted the attendant while one of them recorded. They invited the other passengers to join in the act of repudiation, but were unsuccessful, and then followed him to the Regla church," the source reported.
The images obtained through this medium confirm the presence of individuals filming with the clear intention of documenting the confrontation from various angles, in a maneuver aimed at creating content for propaganda purposes.
In the graphic material, one can see how Hammer is surrounded and questioned, while other actors pretend to act like ordinary citizens reacting spontaneously.
An official pro-government profile on social media, identified as "Frank Enrique", has already spread a favorable version of events regarding what happened, claiming that "the people told Mike a few things" and that the ambassador "cannot handle the truth".
Everything suggests that the scene was staged specifically to serve as justification for the government narrative that accuses Hammer of "provoking the Cuban people."
This episode occurs amid escalating tension between the Cuban regime and the U.S. diplomatic delegation on the island, led by Hammer since November 2024.
His policy of direct contact with citizens, activists, religious leaders, and opposition figures has made authorities uncomfortable, leading them to summon him several times and accuse him of interfering in the country’s internal affairs.
It is very likely that this event will begin to circulate in media and social networks associated with the government, as part of the propaganda setup designed by the regime's security apparatus.
The official campaign against Hammer
Since he assumed the role of head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana in November 2024, Hammer has been the target of an increasing campaign of harassment by the Cuban regime.
Your policy of direct contact with citizens, human rights defenders, activists, and religious leaders has noticeably unsettled the authorities.
In recent weeks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) has publicly attacked Hammer, accusing him of "provocative behavior," "interference," and "violation of the Vienna Convention."
The Deputy Director General for the U.S. at MINREX, Johana Tablada de la Torre, publicly warned him that "do not confuse patience with weakness", in a veiled threat widely circulated in state media.
On May 30, the regime summoned Hammer to deliver a Note Verbale of protest, blaming him for inciting "criminal actions" in Cuba.
Two days later, the U.S. State Department responded by summoning the Cuban ambassador in Washington, in rejection of the harassment against its diplomats.
At the same time, state-run media such as Cubadebate, Granma, and multiple social media profiles controlled by State Security have intensified their discrediting campaign against Hammer, attempting to portray him as an instigator of unrest and part of a supposed destabilization plan.
This climate of diplomatic tension sets the stage for the incident that occurred this Sunday at the Lanchita de Regla, which appears to be a new attempt by the Cuban propaganda apparatus to delegitimize the diplomatic efforts of the United States in the eyes of both national and international public opinion.
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